Valley high school students planning walkouts to protest gun violence

As of Tuesday, the website actionnetwork.org showed walkout events happening at three local high schools.

Author:
Alejandra Armstrong

Published:
2:22 PM MST February 20, 2018

Updated:
9:29 AM MST February 21, 2018

PHOENIX - Arizona high school students are organizing marches and walkouts to protest gun violence in the wake of the school shooting that killed 17 people last week at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

As of Tuesday, the website actionnetwork.org showed walkout events happening at three local high schools.

The Women's March Network, the organizers of national Women's March events, is listed on the website as a co-host. According to the Women's March Network website, the organization is calling for students, teachers, school administrators, parents and allies to take part in a #NationalSchoolWalkout on March 14. The events will last for 17 minutes at 10 a.m. across every time zone to "protest Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods."

Highland High School in Gilbert, according to the event page, will not participate in the March 14 walkout because of the school's spring break. Instead, the event is calling on students to wear orange on March 9 in solidarity. The walkout will happen on April 20, the date of another National School Walkout, corresponding with the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting.

12 News has reached out the people listed as hosts for these events for comment.

Two teens are also organizing another event in Phoenix on March 24. Samantha Lekberg and Jordan Harb are listed as hosts on the Facebook event page #MarchForOurLives Phoenix, Arizona. Hundreds have said they are attending the march. Nearly 2,500 more have marked themselves as "interested" in the event on Facebook. That march is not during school hours; it's on a Saturday at the state Capitol.